Mountains of Stories

Not long after arriving in Skagit County, I began exploring local history. One of the first names that came to me was Jesse Kennedy. When I finally met him, I understood why. As you'll see below, Jesse developed an extraordinary and unusual career. All parts of it are fascinating, but his dedication to local history has been what links him closely to my own interests. 

A Pacific Northwest native, Jesse developed a creative career path, never afraid to try something new. He spent a quarter-century working in the nearby North Cascades, focused on preserving cultural resources. When his time at the National Park Service ended, he remained dedicated to local history, especially of Skagit County. Jesse has worked for and supported the local historical society and museum for years, including being a much sought after speaker on local history topics.

Jesse's approach combines rigorous research with engaging storytelling, recognizing that people need both accuracy and narrative to connect with the past. Best of all, perhaps, whenever we meet, Jesse makes me laugh even while taking the business of history seriously. 

A Pacific Northwest Native

For a quarter century, Jesse Kennedy worked for North Cascades National Park Service Complex, but long before that he enjoyed the outdoors the region offered. Born and raised in Seattle, Jesse was part of a family that preferred outdoor adventures to staying home.

My father didn't like working around the house. So, we'd leave on weekends for either a beach house that we had south or the mountains. And that was before there were a lot of people.

Those mountain excursions took the family throughout the Cascades and beyond. 

This was before Monte Cristo was severely privatized, the road washed out, and people could drive there. So, we drove there My sister Katherine and I would take off in the early mornings and go find a mine and go explore that—horribly dangerous things.

The family's mountain connections ran deep. Jesse's older brother worked as a guide on Mount Rainier, and the family even donated a large hand-colored photograph of the mountain that still hangs in Paradise Lodge. Their adventures extended to the Canadian Rockies, where they once had to cross a lake in the dark after being "routed in the middle of the night by a grizzly bear."

This familiarity with the landscape—gained during an era "when the trails weren't crowded, when you didn't have cell phones to rescue yourself, where you had to have common sense"—would prove invaluable decades later when Jesse's career took an unexpected turn toward preserving the cultural resources of those same mountains.

The Academic Years

It took a while and a circuitous path for Jesse to return to his PNW roots, though. 

After graduating from high school, Jesse attended the University of Washington, earning a degree in secondary education. Teaching middle-school English for a year helped him realize another path would likely be more appealing.